Oven plate



K Sept. I* H, KAPLAN 2,385,210

O VENPLATE Filed may 1o, 1944 Illa.

JNVENTOR. HARRY KAPLAN BY www ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 18, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT GFI-ICE OVEN PLATE Harry Kaplan, rooklyn, N. Y. Application May 10, 1944, Serial No. 534,893

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an oven plate, particularly although not exclusively of the type adapted for placement upon the floor of a baking and roasting oven having the source of heat disposed below the oven oor.

Conventional ovens, especially those that are gas-fired, are generally so constructed that the flame is concentrated upon certain localized areas of the oven oor, thereby causing a rapid deterioration of such oor where lthe heat is most intense. Furthermore, due to the fact that the oven :door is generally made of conducting material, the hottest regions thereof are those directly above the name, the heat being transmitted through these regions at a more rapid rate than through other parts of the oor relatively remote from the flame. There is thus an uneven distribution of heat, resulting in scorched foods which are in close proximity to the areas of the oven iloor where the heat transmission is most rapid, and underheated conditions for foods more remotely situated. It is primarly Within the contemplation of my invention to overcome these shortcomings by more evenly distributing the heat along the oven iioor, and by effectuating a ventilation of said floor and an equal distribution of heat into the oven chamber.

In accordance with the preferred form of my invention, the above-mentioned objectives are accomplished by means of an oven plate provided with a horizontal wall of heat-storing and diiusing material, such as asbestos, together with an arrangement which will effectively permit a circulation of heated air to take place substantially along the entire extent of the heat-storing sheet, and the regions of the oven iioor and oven chamber adjacent the said sheet. And in this aspect of my invention it is an important object to provide a casing associated with the said heat-storing wall which will permit an effective circulation'of heated air bothvbelow and above the said wall. y

Many ovens of the above-referred-to class have the opposite lateral walls of their heating chamber provided with inwardly extending supportsor ridges for supporting, in parallel relation to the oor of the oven, one or more grids or removable ioors. It is another object of my invention to enable an oven plate of the class described to be operatively placed upon the door of the oven and capable of clearing the aforesaid supports or ridges disposed adjacent the iloor or the oven.

It is another object of my invention to provide a readily-fabricated casing with which the heatstoring wall can be quickly and easily assembled.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawing and description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawing, Y

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of the oven plate of my invention shown operatively in position upon the oor and between the walls of an oven, the drawing showing only fragmentary portions of said oven oor and walls.

Figure 2 isa rear view of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Figure 3 is a section of Figure 2 taken along line 3-3.

In the particular form of my invention illustrated in the drawing. the oven plate I0 is shown resting upon the oven floor II between the side walls I2 and I3 of the oven. The oven plate proper consists of a casing I4 having an upper wall I5, a rear wall I6, a front wall I'I and side walls containing the channel-shaped retaining portions IB and I9. Within said retaining portions I8 and I9, and slidably supported thereby, is a. heat-storing and heat-diffusing wall 270. In the preferred form of my invention this wall is a sheet of insulating material like asbestos, the,

sheet being of suiilcient stiffness to be self-supporting. Although said wall is hereinafter referred to as a heat-storing wall, it is intended, within the scope of this invention, that it may be also considered as a wall of heat-dliusing properties, as is characteristic of asbestos.

Disposed directly above the heat-storing sheet 20 is the air-space compartment 2|, this being ,s formed by the upper wall I5 of the casing, the

irontand rear end walls I'l and I6 thereof, respectively, and the side walls 2| and 22. It is preferred that the front wall I'I extend downwardly 'from the upper wall I5 approximately to the level of, but not below, the upper surface 23 of the heat-storing sheet 20, so as to permit said sheet to be slidably inserted wtihin the channellike recesses of the retaining members I8 and I9.

VIt is also preferred that the rear wall I6 extend downwardly from the upper wall I5 to e, point below the level of the upper surface 23 of the said heat-storing sheet 20, so as to serve as an abutment or stop for holding said sheet 20 against rearward movement therebeyond.

Thebase of the casing I4 consists of two inwardly extending legs 24 and 25 of the retaining members I8 and I9 respectively, said legs being adapted to rest upon the oven floor II. It is` thus apparent that with such an arrangement, an air space 26 is provided between the oven floor II and th'e bottom `csurface of the heat-storing sheet 20.

It will also be observed that the air-space compartment 2| communicates with the atmosphere through the aperture 21 at the rear of the top of the casing and the apertures 28 at the front of the casing. It is understood, however, that other forms and positions of the apertures equivalent to 21 and 28 may be employed in association with the casing I4, with equal force and effect.

In the operation of this device, the source of heat, not shown in the drawing, is applied to the under-surface of the oven floor II, in conventional manner. The heat transmitted through said -wall causes the air in space 2B to be heated, and this heated air will cause a heating of the heat-storing sheet I2. Due to the nature of the material of sheet 20, it will absorb a considerable portion of the heat transmitted to it before giving off its heat to the region thereabove. It has been found that said sheet 2|) will generally become heated substantially uniformly throughout the extent thereof; and thereafter the heat from said heat-storing sheet will travel upwardly into the space 2|, to heat the upper wall I5 thereof uniformly throughout its entire extent. The uniform heating of the said upper wall I 5 will consequently cause a uniform distribution of heat in the region thereabove, thereby effectuating an even distribution of heat throughout the food or other products being heated -Within the oven in the region directly above the oven plate.

The openings 2I and 28 serve to aid in the circulation of the heated air within compartment 2|. When the sheet 20 is of porous material, these apertures, through their draft effect, in-

duce the passage of heated air, gases or vapors upwardly through sheet 20 into the compartment 2| out through the apertures. However, circulation will take place even if the material of sheet 20 is non-porous, inasmuch as air will pass through the front and rear openings 29 and v30 of said space 2S, and through said openings 2'I and 28 in upper wall I5, due to the difference in temperature between the atmosphere and the air within the said space 28 and compartment 2|.

This continuous circulation of air in space 25 will obviously produce a Ventilating and cooling effect upon the oven floor II, and also an equal distribution of heat Within the upper Wall I5 of the casing. Such effects are also brought about, and enhanced, by virtue of the fact that the heatstoring and diffusing properties of sheet 2U enable it to absorb heat uniformly throughout its extent, thereby uniformly drawing heat from vall portions of floor II and uniformly transferring its heat to the air within compartment 2 I.

In the form of oven illustrated in the drawing, the vside'walls I2 and I3 thereof contain ymethods of construction and other materials may be employed. In the sheet-metal construction illustrated, the base of the oven plate is readily bent into shape to provide the channel-like retaining members I8 and I9, the upper walls 35 and 38 of said retaining members constituting the recessed walls provided to clear the angle bars 3|. The front and rear portions |I and I6 of the sheet-metal construction are bent downwardly to form front and rear flaps. The inwardly extending legs 24 and 25 serve not only as part of the retaining members for the heat-storing sheet 20, but' also as spacing means for keeping said sheet spaced from the floor II. This construction is particularly feasible where the sheet I| is made of relatively stiff board capable of sustaining itself throughout its extent. It is thus apparent that the entirefconstruction can be readily fabricated and assembled to produrre a device capable of effecting the objectiyeshereinabove stated.

It is undervstooclwltriatV thel embodiment above described and-shown inithef'drawing is merely il- -lustrative of my invention, and that numerous changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit of this invention.

I claim:

An oven plate adapted for placement upon an oven floor, comprising la sheet-metal casing containing a top wall, two opposite downwardly extending side sections the lower portions of which are channel-shaped with inwardly extending legs and the upper portions of which are recessed inwardly, two opposite end walls extending downwardly from the top wallone of said end walls extending down substantially to the top of said channel-shaped portions and the other of said end walls extending down therebelow, the said top wall containing apertured means; and a wall of heat-storing material disposed within and supported by said channel-shaped portions.

HARRY KAPLAN. 

